civilian personnel administration in the war department

Civilian Personnel Administration in the War DepartmentAuthor(s): Donald A. RutledgeSource: Public Administration Review, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Winter, 1947), pp. 49-59Published by: Wiley on behalf of the American Society for Public AdministrationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/972354 .

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Civilian Personnel Administration in the

War Department

By DONALD A. RUTLEDGE Area Chief Inspector, Civilian Personnel Division, Office, Secretary of War

T HE program of civilian personnel management in the War Department which evolved from the wartime emergency

was in complete contrast to the prewar pic- ture. This program was characterized not only by its utilization of the full range of personnel techniques, but also by the greatest decentralization of personnel authority in the history of the federal service.

The story of decentralization, both in its effect on the development of personnel administration at the field installation level and in the organizational provisions for the planning and control of the decentralized program, is believed to be of especial interest at this time because of the apparently growing trend in the federal service toward decentralization of administrative decisions to the field level. The War Department's experiences are also inter- esting because of the special efforts needed to achieve a progressive program of civilian personnel management in a military agency, the successful development of the concept of personnel administration as an integral part of management responsibility, and the tremendous wartime load in terms of numbers of personnel and the rapid expansion of the entire department at a time when the labor sup- ply was at its lowest ebb.

Peacetime Program IN THE years preceding World War II the

War Department had not developed a personnel program in any real sense of the word, nor was there any conscious recognition of the need for a formalized program to deal with the 70,000 people making up the civilian com-

ponent of the department. The so-called "positive" elements of personnel administration, such as training, a program of employee-management relations, employee services, a wage plan, counselling, and grievance procedures, were present neither in title nor in practice. The program was almost entirely concerned with approving personnel transactions.

Little authority was delegated to the installations in the field-the arsenals, ports of embarkation, manufacturing depots, air depots, district engineers, and posts, camps, and stations. The field could deal with local offices of the Civil Service Commission for the appointment of employees at the lower and middle levels; but appointments to higher positions, changes of classification and pay rates, and transfers were tightly controlled by the bureaus and the Office, Secretary of War in Washington.

Executive Order 7916 of 1938, which provided for the appointment of directors of personnel in federal departments and agencies and established the Federal Council of Per- sonnel Administration, was coldly received by the then Secretary of War, who refused to ap- point a director of personnel. Continued pressure from the White House finally forced the Secretary to establish the position of director of personnel, and in September, 1939, A. H. Onthank was appointed to it.

The declaration of an emergency in 1939 as a result of war conditions in Europe caused a rapid increase in the size of the department and gave impetus to the establishment of a positive personnel program. By the end of 1939, the number of civilian employees had

49

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PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW

increased from 70,000 to well over loo,ooo. The passage of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, calling for a peacetime draft for one year of service in the Army, meant additional expansions in all of the department's establishments to induct, clothe, house, and train the hundreds of thousands of new military personnel and maintain their records. The continued increase in the size of the department caused the existing personnel setup to strain at the seams and within one year after his appointment the new director of personnel began formulating plans for organizational and procedural changes in the personnel program to meet these new develop- ments.

First Wartime Changes A result of centralization of administrative decisions in Washington the time

involved in securing approval of personnel actions was excessive. It was also felt that a number of inaccuracies were occurring because of the distance of the approving office from the initiating installation. The director, therefore, established nineteen civilian personnel field offices to expedite the recruitment of civilian personnel; approve appointment, promotion, transfer, and separation actions; approve position classifications; serve as advisers to field installations on personnel administration; report to the Secretary of War on the status of civilian personnel; respond to

public inquiries concerning any matters re-

lating to civilian personnel; and operate gen- erally as a liaison agency between the War

Department and the Civil Service Commis- sion.

Beginning in December, 1940, authority was delegated from the bureaus of the War Department to their field establishments to

permit them to utilize the full services of the field offices. Initial delegations were for actions up to and including $2,600 per annum. In December, 1941, they were expanded to in- clude actions at least up to and including $4,600 per annum.

The number of civilian personnel continued to grow rapidly. There were 113,506 in

June, 1940; 308,591 in June, 1941; 853,551 in

June, 1942; and a peak of 1,375,000 in June, 1943. The fact that the department increased in size twelvefold in three years is one of the

most significant indicators of the difficulties that were encountered in developing the personnel program.

The field offices were a marked improvement. Actions were speeded up, decisions were more valid because of the proximity of the approving office to the operating stations, and the consulting and coordinating activities of the offices were gradually raising the level of personnel administration throughout the department. By the middle of 1942, however, it became apparent that even further decentralization was necessary. The volume of actions was becoming so huge that delays were again occurring and the secretary's office and the field offices were so occupied with paper work that little time was left for effective planning, development, and control of the personnel function. Also, progress in the field installations in developing personnel programs was not rapid enough, owing to the absence of any local authority and to the difficulty of promoting the personnel job as an integral part of top management responsibility.

During 1941-42, three significant develop- ments took place which served to lay the groundwork for an effective program of complete decentralization. In March, 1941, Law- rence Appley, long a leader in industrial personnel management, was appointed as an ex- pert consultant on personnel management to the Secretary of War; in March, 1942, the entire War Department was reorganized so as to provide for greater integration and for the delegation of authority to make administrative decisions; and in June, 1942, the Secre- tary of War established a council on civilian personnel which brought representatives of the top commands into the personnel planning function.

Appley's greatest contribution was in obtaining recognition of a more dynamic con-

cept of management, with personnel administration as one of the chief management re-

sponsibilities. He argued that the personnel office should be placed directly under top management with a leadership responsibility for obtaining a high level of personnel administration by the operating chiefs in their daily work operations. The supervisor was the key figure, representing management to the worker and putting management plans into

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WAR DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION

effect. He played an important part in indoc- trination, orientation, on-the-job training, reassignment, promotion, disciplinary actions, grievances, work improvement, employee morale, worker-management relations, and employee counselling. His efforts, of course, needed to be directed and supplemented. Management had to determine its basic plan of action, train the supervisors in the handling of their personnel responsibilities, exercise control over supervisors to see that they discharged their responsibilities properly, and supplement their efforts with trained special- ists.

Appley, together with William H. Kush- nick, who replaced Onthank in 1942 when the latter entered military service, argued that if the control of the human element was a major management responsibility of the supervisor, then management had to have authority commensurate with that responsibility. The exercise of close controls on individual actions by higher echelons defeated any development of personnel consciousness at the field installations. Appley and Kushnick proposed to delegate complete authority to each operating office, develop top staff leadership and adequate administrative controls, and then hold the operating offices completely and finally responsible, subject only to certain postaudit reviews.

In March, 1942, the entire War Depart- ment was reorganized to meet the emergencies of the war program. The reorganization had two major objectives-to reduce the span of control of the Chief of Staff and to decentralize the making of administrative decisions. The reorganization and the decentralization had broad implications for the civilian personnel program. Greater administrative authority was delegated by the bureaus to the field stations and a strong precedent was set for the delegation of all operating personnel authority to the field level. The integration of the services and bureaus also made it possible for the civilian personnel division of the Of- fice, Secretary of War, to perform its planning and coordinating function more effectively because it had to deal with only three major commands rather than with twenty-three bureaus, arms, and services.

On June i, 1942, the Secretary announced

the creation of the council on civilian personnel, chairmanned by the director of personnel, and with representatives from the major commands and offices. The functions of the council were to recommend to the Secretary needed policies or changes, take action to insure uniform personnel administration throughout the department, recommend ex- ceptions to established policy, provide ma- chinery for estimating personnel needs, sup- ply continuous impetus toward simplification of procedures, and provide a medium for open discussion of pressing major needs relat- ing to civilian personnel activities. The council met for the purpose of formulating plans and developing and coordinating the personnel program. The department now had a top advisory group that gave assurance of coordi- nated effort and a uniform policy among all commands and bureaus. Representatives from the operating offices presented their problems, aided in formulating plans for solution, then directed within their commands the execution of the plans they had helped to develop.

Decision to Effect Complete Decentralization IN AUGUST, 1942, the Secretary of War an-

nounced the program of complete decentralization of personnel authority to the lowest practicable operating echelon. The program provided for simple, direct procedures for accomplishing personnel transactions, the location of authority to act where responsibility for achievement rested, and aggressive leadership in the development of the personnel concept in War Department management. The field installations now had authority to effect appointments, promotions, transfers, separations, and so forth, classify graded and ungraded positions, carry on necessary training programs, develop effective employee relations programs, handle grievance and disciplinary actions, operate suggestion systems, and carry on other personnel functions with a minimum of reference to higher authority. Actions, of course, had to comply with basic laws, regulations, standards, and policies affecting civilian employment, and installations were subject to a postaudit of their programs, but the decision to act on individual cases now rested with the installations.

This decentralization has been considered

51




the most extensive in the federal service. Bene- ficial effects were soon apparent. The personnel function at the station level developed greatly in stature and recognition. Rapid and more accurate personnel actions were secured because of local authority and knowledge. The quality of station programs developed markedly as a result of increased authority and responsibility, and the stations were able to secure higher grade personnel administrators. All of this added up to sounder management in the development of techniques for the more effective utilization of employees.

Policies and Procedures Statements

THE decentralized program required the de-

velopment of detailed statements of policies and procedures for distribution to the field stations. To this end the Secretary's office

engaged in a program of policy formulation, codification of personnel regulations, im-

provement of the system for issuance of personnel instructions, preparation of classification standards, and development of manuals and pamphlets on various personnel procedures and techniques. These civilian personnel instructions were published in the form of

regulations, circulars, procedures manuals, pamphlets, a manual of classification standards, and civilian personnel and payroll letters.

The civilian personnel regulations were first issued in October, 1942, and presented in codified form all requirements governing personnel actions. Regulations were numbered in the order in which personnel actions nor-

mally occurred and were filed in loose-leaf binders so that they could be kept up to date.

They were prepared in great detail, and provided the first collection of all regulations pertaining to civilian personnel; they covered War Department orders and memorandums, civil service rules and regulations, decisions of the Comptroller General, Executive Orders of the President, and acts of Congress. The regulations were maintained on a current basis

through periodic issuance of changes, revi- sions, and new regulations.

Circulars served two purposes-(i) quick publication of new or changed requirements or promulgation of instructions of short dura- tion and (2) the transmission of instructions

originating outside the department. Single instructions could be issued as circulars without the delay involved in rewriting the pertinent regulation. Instructions of a permanent nature could then be incorporated in later revi- sions of the regulations.

Several procedures manuals were issued in order to clarify, simplify, and standardize the work required to effect personnel actions. The manuals prescribed, explained, and illustrated the forms to be used and the procedures to be followed for appointments, transfers, reem-

ployments, position changes, pay changes, separations, records and files, classification and

wage administration, placement, employee relations, training, efficiency ratings, awards for civilian service, suggestions awards, reporting, and reductions in force. The manuals included flow charts, descriptions and specimens of all

necessary forms, and instructions on each step taken in processing personnel actions.

The object of the pamphlets was to place in the hands of operating personnel officers ma- terials concerning various personnel activities

beyond the strict requirements of basic policies, procedures, and standards. They were usually educational and advisory in nature, designed to serve as handbooks and to give aid in the

development of local personnel administration. Subjects covered included employee relations, exit interviews, personnel counselling, employee services, common sense in disciplinary actions, placement interviews, orienting employees, employee handbooks, employment of women, military reemployment rights, job classification, classification and wage surveys, employee suggestion programs, efficiency rat-

ing conference guide, conference leadership, planning for reduction in force, and on-the-job training.

In order to assure uniform classification action a manual of standard job descriptions was

published in September, 1942. The manual was kept current through the issuance of new standards, which were constantly being prepared, and was supplemented by standards

prepared by the commands and bureaus for

positions peculiar to their offices. Manuals were issued to all stations and served as the basic standards for the local analysts in classi-

fying jobs. Civilian personnel and payroll letters were

52




issued in question-and-answer form in an effort to provide answers to the more important operating questions on interpretation of procedures and regulations.

Although the Secretary's office was the only one authorized to issue basic policy or procedural statements, the commands and bureaus prepared a number of supplemental instructions, manuals, and pamphlets to meet specific operating needs or to set forth in greater detail the method of executing original instructions. No instruction of the Secretary's office could be changed or quoted in part in publications of the commands; each was either quoted in full or merely cited in order to prevent misinterpre- tation. The commands and bureaus issued many fine documents which supplemented the work of the Secretary's office, and operating personnel officers thus had available an im- pressive list of written statements on the personnel function.

Initial Development of Local Personnel Programs

FOLLOWING the decentralization order, the immediate problem facing the War Depart-

ment was the building up at the field stations of personnel programs and offices of sufficient stature to carry out the intent of the decentralization. New concepts of personnel administration and full knowledge of personnel techniques needed to be developed at the stations.

The commands and bureaus, relieved of the detail of individual personnel actions, intensi- fied their supervisory programs. Strong pressure was exerted on the stations to expand their personnel concepts, secure trained personnel administrators, and place the personnel office on a high organizational level. Confer- ences and training courses were held and tech- nical assistance provided. Continuing efforts were made to impress local commands with the importance of their new authority and responsibility and strong directives were issued to step up their pace in assuming the new functions.

In the meantime, the Secretary's Office post- poned a program of formal inspections for one year in order to concentrate on the establishment of the new program. Upon inactivation of the civilian personnel field offices, a number of representatives were stationed in the field to

visit assigned installations periodically to give advice, assistance, and general guidance to commanding officers and personnel officers; assure compliance with all policies, procedures, and standards through informal inspections and reviews; report accurately and compre- hensively on field conditions, describing trends, problems, and the effectiveness of policies; co- ordinate the several forces and services in the field; and serve as liaison with the Civil Service Commission, the War Manpower Commission, and other agencies.

These representatives assisted the field installations through promoting the importance of the personnel function, holding training conferences and providing training courses, conducting classification surveys, and making informal inspections. Their objective was to accomplish, in as short a time as possible, the conversion of the stations from a record-keeping personnel job to one embodying effective use of the complete range of personnel management. Close observation of field conditions enabled them to report to the Secretary on the effectiveness of all policies and procedures and made possible the issuance of more pertinent and valid policy statements.

Within one year the decentralized program was well established and field stations were carrying on in a satisfactory manner. The director of personnel now felt that the program of concentrated assistance should be replaced by a formalized inspection program to assure conformance to all necessary personnel requirements and policies.

In October, 1943, the Secretary announced the initiation of a program of formal audits and inspections of personnel administration at the field stations as a means of securing compliance and of making a careful evaluation of personnel management in the individual establishments.

Inspection groups were established in the field to review for the Secretary all phases of the program of field installations. Various members of the group evaluated different parts of the program. The team leader evaluated the management program, management's attitude concerning civilians and civilian personnel management, the relationships between the personnel officer and the commanding officer and between the personnel office and the oper-

53




ating and staff offices, the general circumstances pertaining to each station such as length of ex- istence, location, mission, number and type of employees, community relationships, and the employee relations program including counselling activities, transportation, orientation, exit interviews, employee services, employee-management relations, and grievance and disciplinary actions.

The placement and training specialist on the team evaluated provisions for initial hiring and placement, in-service placement, maintenance of skills inventories, promotion policies, need for skills training and the relationship of training programs to training needs, on-the-job training by supervisors, off-reservation training, and programs of safety engineering, inspection, and training.

A procedures and regulations specialist re- viewed the operations of the personnel office- its organization and work assignments, the abilities of staff members, its adherence to standard operating procedures as to forms, records, steps in processing, and its conformance to all legal and regulatory requirements in such matters as appointments, separations, leave, reductions in force; reemployment of veterans, retirement records, efficiency ratings, suspensions, removals, accident compensation, and demotions.

In the area of salary and wage administration a staff of inspectors evaluated the program as to validity of the wage structure for ungraded jobs, operating officials' understanding of classification, provisions for keeping classification current, and availability of such work-

ing tools as organization charts, accurate job descriptions, statutes, regulations and directives, and functional statements of the operating units. They also audited a substantial sam-

ple (usually over half) of the jobs on the station to determine the degree of conformance to re-

quired standards. The inspection of a station normally took

about two weeks. An initial conference was held with the commanding officer, and often a special meeting was arranged with the division heads, at which the purposes and procedures of the inspection were discussed. A conference for the same purpose with the staff of the personnel office followed. In accordance with the

concept that supervisors and operating people

were the key figures in personnel administration a majority of the contacts were made in the operating sections. Thus, evaluation was not confined to the work of the personnel office but was also concerned with the personnel at- titudes and programs of top management and the operating offices.

During the course of the audit no disclosures were made to operating personnel and no opinions voiced as to apparent weaknesses or mistakes, but a number of the problems were discussed with the personnel officer. Upon completion of the audit a meeting was held with the personnel officer and his staff in order to discuss fully all the findings and to outline the recommendations and suggestions that would be made. The meeting was for two purposes- to validate the findings of the inspection team and to give a maximum amount of assistance to the station in the furtherance of its personnel program. A final meeting was held with the commanding officer in order to present a summary finding of the inspection.

Upon completion of the inspection a detailed formal report was prepared covering the nature of the installation, a discussion of its general personnel program, an evaluation of personnel needs and of efforts to meet them, and recommendations to secure compliance or suggestions for improvement of the program. These reports were submitted to the Office, Secretary of War in Washington. The original of the final report was sent to the station, and, simultaneously, copies were forwarded to force and service headquarters. The station was then required to report by indorsement the action it had taken as a result of the report.

Personnel Techniques and Procedures under the Decentralized Program

HE real test of the department's program of decentralization was, of course, in its ulti-

mate effectiveness in the operating stations. It was not possible for the department to pre- scribe in detail a program to fit every station since they varied too much in size, location, type of work performed, and length of exist- ence to expect one standard pattern to fit them all. Nevertheless, the basic program here de- scribed illustrates the requirements of the department and their general application by the stations.

54




The over-all personnel program, as set forth in War Department Administrative Memoran- dum W-6 of January, 1943,1 called for a total working environment conducive to stimula- tion of the best endeavor; no discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, or political affiliation; all appointments in accordance with civil service laws and on the basis of merit and approved qualifications; in- service placement to correct poor assignments and for the maximum utilization of skills; vacancies to be filled by promotion whenever possible; training programs to be established for the further development of employees; equal pay for equal work; counselling services to assist supervisors and employees in achieving satisfactory adjustment on the job; safe, pleas- ant, and healthful working conditions; use of conferences for free interchange of ideas in recognition of the need for coordinating the thinking of all levels of administration; establishment of grievance procedures; recognition of rights of employees to join or refrain from joining unions; and publication of all policies affecting personnel administration.

The personnel officer was considered an ad- viser to the commanding officer and placed high in the organization so that he would al- ways know management's plans and problems. The personnel officer had three major functions: (1) to work out in cooperation with management officials the personnel program of the station; (2) to advise and consult with operating officials on their personnel problems; and (3) to advise the commanding officer on the status of his personnel program. In all of its activities to promote good personnel practices the personnel office concentrated its efforts on the supervisory force in recognition of the part which the supervisor must have in making the total personnel job effective.

The personnel offices were organized into five sections-employment, including recruitment and placement; training and safety; classification and wage administration; employee relations; and payroll and records. The close coordination of these sections was strongly em- phasized, and an effort was made to minimize specialization in order to obtain effective team- work for the entire office.

1 Replaced by Civilian Personnel Regulation No. 2 of November, 1945.

Recruitment and Placement ECRUITING problems were typical of wartime. Labor was scarce, and a number of

recruiting drives were initiated in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission. It was dif- ficult to secure skilled applicants and the problem was to obtain applicants who could be developed and trained for specific jobs. This placed a heavy load on training and placement officers.

It was considered that the line supervisor did the actual hiring in the sense of conferring employment. Placement advisers counselled and assisted operating officials by preliminary screening and referral of the best qualified people, arranging for reassignment of employees who were not developing properly, and suggesting methods of using abilities of employees to better advantage. The placement advisers made regular visits to supervisors to discuss the filling of vacancies, the requirements of jobs, the questions to ask applicants during the interviews, and the evaluation of present employees. Followups on initial placements were made at the end of thirty days to determine the fitness of the new employee for the job.

For the in-service placement job, skills inventories were maintained and the performance of employees was constantly discussed with supervisors and recorded in order to single out the best people for the open jobs and to chart the progress of the individual employee.

Special problems in placement were raised by the need to dilute jobs in order to train new employees for specific skills in a short time; the large number of women employed (about 40 per cent), most of whom had never done industrial work; and the large number of unskilled recruits who had to be placed in anticipation of acquiring the training to perform skilled work.

Training and Safety APPROXIMATELY 80,000 people were in train-

ing every month during the war period, most of them in industrial work. Private and commercial school facilities were used, as well as complete machine training schools at the stations. There was training for mechanics, clerks, chauffeurs, technicians, engineers, store- keepers, and so forth in every stage of devel-

55




opment. The great majority of aircraft mechanics, for example, were recruited from the ranks of the unskilled and trained to perform skilled work. Programs included skills training, both pre-service and post-assignment, to enable workers to learn a skill or to become more skilled. Upgrade training courses were common. Clerical training was given for all types of clerical and storekeeping work.

Whenever practicable on-the-job training was given workers while at their productive work stations. Jobs were broken down into individual operations and steps, and the progress of trainees on each step was watched closely and charted. On-the-job training was given to new workers, to workers whose jobs or whose duties on the same job had changed, and to the workers who showed weaknesses in the performance of any operation. On-the-job training was the responsibility of the operating officials, supplemented by staff assistance from the personnel office. Where the load was light, the supervisors did the entire job; but when the load became heavy, experienced workers or special instructors were assigned.

Extensive courses in supervisory training were given, including basic job relations, job methods, and job instructor programs. An at-

tempt was made to follow through on these programs in order to insure that their principles were put into practice. Regular training conferences for supervisors and operating heads were held, covering the principles of su- pervision, management and personnel practices, work improvement, and organization methods.

Industrial safety was an integral part of

every station's production problem. Extensive safety training programs were carried out, and safety engineers and inspectors were constantly working to improve safety devices and to eliminate unsafe working conditions.

Classification and Wage Administration HE problems of the War Department in classification differed somewhat from those

of other federal agencies in that over half the jobs were of a skilled and semiskilled trades and labor nature, the so-called ungraded jobs, and were not subject to the Classification Act of 1923, as amended. The two groups differed in one major respect, that of salaries. Salaries

for graded positions covered by the Classifica- tion Act were fixed according to grade level, and the salaries were uniform throughout the country. Ungraded positions were not covered by an act of Congress, and the rates of pay were set by the War Department on the basis of local prevailing rates of pay.

In other respects the classification staffs ana- lyzed the two groups of jobs, graded and ungraded, according to similar techniques. Ana- lysts prepared position descriptions, often based on rough descriptions prepared by the supervisors. Investigations were made of most positions to get complete facts, and no position could be filled by promotion or original appointment until it had been officially classi- fied. Organization charts, functional statements, position description files, and position control cards were maintained as aids in the classifying process.

Supervisors had access to the standards available to the station analysts and were ex- pected to participate actively in the classification program. The station analysts, in addition to final classification of positions, were also responsible for securing a full understanding of classification on the part of supervisors -its purposes and objectives, knowledge of job content of subordinate positions, ability to recognize job changes, and the requesting of personnel actions calculated to assure equitable pay structures.

The program for ungraded wages was a pioneer effort in the federal service and was one of the best examples of wartime advance- ments in personnel administration. Prior to 1942 the War Department had no systematic, uniform plan for the setting of wages or classification of positions in the skilled trades, helper, and laborer designations. In October, 1942, under delegation of authority by the War Labor Board, the wage administration section of the Army Service Forces undertook the establishment of a complete wage system.

Locality wage boards were set up to survey prevailing wages in given areas. The boards, manned by representatives from War Depart- ment stations in the area, were fact-finding bodies; and the wage data were submitted to the wage administration section for analysis and final setting of rates of pay. The jobs sur- veyed were approximately forty key jobs se-

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WAR DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION 57

lected by the wage section. In the setting of wage scales all other jobs were compared to these key jobs on the basis of the factors of ex- perience and training required, application required, responsibility involved, physical de- mands of the work, and working conditions. The wage data for the forty key jobs were plotted on a scatter diagram, the ordinate of which showed the cents per hour and the ab- scissa the number of "difficulty" points assigned to the jobs. A line of best fit was then determined by the method of least squares, and from this line was determined the cents per hour rate for a job of any given difficulty points.

In order to guide the stations in classifying jobs, ladder diagrams were submitted by the stations for approval by the wage administration section. The diagram was a chart with about thirty grades representing difficulty. A station ranking committee listed all jobs from high to low, on the basis of the five factors, compared them with the forty key jobs and then placed them in the proper grade on the ladder diagram. This ladder diagram, when approved, was a list of authorized jobs for a station; and the station analysts then rated each job according to the "standards" as rep- resented by the diagram. In order to establish new types of jobs, position descriptions were submitted to the wage administration section for inclusion on the ladder diagram.

The two outstanding elements in the classification and wage administration program were the system for ungraded wages and the decentralization of authority to classify positions. Under this decentralization, commanding officers were given authority to effect the final classification of positions, and were held responsible for conformance to authorized standards. The actual classification job was accomplished by analysts in the personnel office, in the interest of eliminating delays and achieving more valid results. Through availability of the knowledge and organization skill of the analysts, it was possible for classification to become a real "tool" of management.

Employee Relations HE employee relations staff worked closely with the supervisory personnel to supple-

ment, but not supersede, the job of the super-

visor. Comprehensive orientation courses were held for new employees to get them started right and to explain the local ground rules. Counseling services were established to coach the supervisor in handling employee problems or to assist directly on problems beyond his ability to handle, such as health matters, men- tal adjustments, difficulties off the job, certain types of job complaints, and dissatisfaction with station policies. Counselors tried to help individuals to help themselves. Facts, information, and referrals were given to the employee to aid him in coming to a wise decision. Results of counseling interviews were kept confidential although the general information uncovered was turned over to management for correction of weaknesses or issuance of policy statements.

Extensive labor shortages and acute dis- placements caused by the establishment of new stations required a varied employee services program. Typical activities with which the stations helped employees were housing, transportation, eating facilities, health and medical care, recreation, child care, commercial facilities, credit unions, and employee welfare associations. The employee services program was worthwhile and necessary. A great many stations were new and were lo- cated at some distance from community facilities, and most of the employees were new to the station and the community and needed help with outside activities and services.

Exit interviews were held to determine the causes for leaving, in an effort to keep the turnover rate down and to correct any bad situation in the station.

Rules and Regulations HE personnel office was charged with seeing that there was legal compliance with all

rules and regulations, interpreting rules for operating officials, and administering certain administrative services. These covered regulations on time and leave, overtime and base pay computations, withholding tax and retirement deductions, administrative increases, efficiency ratings, military furloughs, reductions in force, statistics and reports, preparation of personnel notices, and maintenance of personnel records of employees.

The personnel officer served as the key ad-




viser to the commanding officer on the issuance of policies and in making legal, equitable, and uniform decisions on such matters as granting of leave, tours of duty, shift assignments, promotion policy, penalties in disciplinary actions, amount of overtime to be worked, use of lunch rooms and shopping cen- ters, and rest periods. In general, it was considered that the effect on the morale of employees was dependent, to a large extent, on wise administration of the rules governing their status. Insurance of such "wise administration" was the job of the personnel officer.

Related Personnel Functions ANUMBER of special provisions in the person-

nel field were sponsored by the personnel offices, although in some cases they had no direct responsibility for their administration.

A systematic employee grievance procedure was adopted providing employees with an op- portunity to express dissatisfaction with circumstances or conditions surrounding their employment. The basic provisions were that the grievance procedure must be formulated in writing by each station; that an employee had the right and obligation to consult with his immediate supervisor concerning any problem; that an employee had the right to select a representative to present his grievance; that advice of the personnel office could be ob- tained, although its recommendations must be advisory; that grievances should be settled promptly by the immediate supervisor, and failing settlement should be given prompt consideration by higher levels, including the commanding officer; that cases going beyond the second supervisor must be formalized in writing, and all statements against individuals reduced to writing; that before a final decision was made, a hearing would be held before an impartial committee which would make findings of fact and recommendations to the commanding officer; and that employees would be permitted time off without pay to present grievances.

An employee suggestion program was established, with review committees on the stations. Employees were encouraged to think about their jobs and submit suggestions for improvements. A great deal of publicity was given and awards were made for suggestions dealing

with health, safety, or welfare, with changes in forms or administrative procedures, and with changes in production methods resulting in a measurable saving of money or increased production. For welfare and administrative suggestions awards of from $5 to $250 were given; for suggestions which could be measured in terms of money or man-hours saved, the award was set on a percentage basis on a sliding scale so that, for example, a saving of $1oo,ooo would bring an award of $725. Awards under $250 were approved locally, but a number of awards in excess of that amount were approved by the War Department Board in Washington. In the first year of operation, June 1943-June 1944, o09,o0 suggestions were submitted, 9,884 adopted, a total of $230,714 awarded to

employees, and an estimated yearly saving made of $22,242,197. Three awards of $1,ooo each were given for suggestions which were

adopted throughout the department as standard procedures.

In addition to provisions for within-grade salary increases for superior accomplishment and exceptionally meritorious service, the de-

partment developed emblems for civilians. The basic emblem was awarded to civilians with six months' service; the meritorious emblem, for ten years of faithful and satisfactory service or for meritorious service regardless of time served; and the exceptionally meritorious emblem for service within and beyond the call of duty.

In order to handle disciplinary actions properly and uniformly a special pamphlet entitled Commonsense in Disciplinary Actions was

published for use by supervisors. This placed the whole field of penalties on a public basis and provided for more equitable treatment. Causes and permissible penalties, as well as the best methods of administering penalties, were listed in the pamphlet.

Employee-management councils were established at a number of stations, providing for free interchange of information between em-

ployees and management. Elected representatives of employees below the supervisory level met regularly with the commanding officers to discuss and get management's reaction to any type of problem in personnel, production, safety, management practices, and so forth.

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Summary and Evaluation HE principal obstacles the War Department had to overcome in establishing an effec-

tive civilian personnel program were:

1. The absence of any basic program that could be expanded for wartime operations. The department, in effect, started from scratch in setting up its program.

2. Resistance to changing the personnel program for civilian employees. Years of in- ertia in the civilian personnel field had so in- fluenced older employees and military officers that they could see no necessity for, and in many cases actively opposed, the establishment of any new concepts or procedures in the employment of civilians.

3. Confusion and complication in military- civilian relationships. Mutual lack of understanding of differences in and of difference between military and civilian personnel principles caused many delays in the development of civilian personnel management.

4. A tremendous rate of expansion. Civil- ian employees of the department grew from 96,500 in June, 1939, to 1,375,000 in June, 1943.

5. A depleted labor market.

There are a number of factors to the credit of the department in meeting this challenge, the principal ones of which are listed below:

1. The department took immediate action. Decentralization to field offices occurred in January, 1941; complete personnel authority was delegated in September, 1942; a program for wage administration was initiated in the fall of 1942; publication of complete regulations, guides, pamphlets, manuals, and standards began in October, 1942; a formal inspection program was instituted in October, 1943; and beginning in 1941 a number of civilians prominent in the industrial personnel field were called to the department as consultants or regular employees.

2. The council on civilian personnel was an extremely effective device for the joint consideration by line and staff agencies of all major policies affecting civilian personnel.

3. Through coordination of the efforts of the personnel officials in the Secretary's office and the Forces, a dynamic and progressive

concept of personnel administration as a top management responsibility was promoted and adopted.

4. The decision to decentralize and delegate complete personnel authority to the operating stations proved to be the best possible answer to the problems of size, urgency, and ade- quacy of programs. Possessed of commensurate authority station commanders were well able to discharge effectively their responsibility for civilian personnel.

5. The efforts of the Secretary's office and the Forces, following the decentralization order, in developing a high-pressure promo- tional campaign to convince field officials of the importance of the personnel function re- sulted in the remarkable record of converting in less than a year from a record-keeping personnel job to a positive program with well- developed techniques.

6. The promulgation of detailed, comprehensive, and well-written regulations, circulars, pamphlets, manuals, and standards made possible correct and uniform action in all stations.

7. The number of forms was reduced, delays were eliminated, procedures simplified, and responsible officials given authority commensurate with their responsibility under the new program.

8. Military-civilian differences were consid- erably reduced through the development of a progressive concept of personnel management.

9. The personnel program developed by the central offices, and applied in the field stations, was complete and comprehensive, including practically all recognized personnel functions.

io. The inspection program marked a new and important trend in federal personnel management. The complete decentralization of personnel authority was definitely a pioneer step in the federal service. With the decentralization it was necessary to assure the ade- quacy of the field programs and their compliance with all departmental requirements. To answer that problem the department engaged in another pioneering effort by installing a program of complete audit and inspection of the personnel function, not only to assure compliance but to provide for continuing improvements.

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civilian personnel administration in the war department

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